Researchers were able to determine that environment students grow in can influence their university aspirations. The research involved interviews from 1050 students.
Researchers from Croatia were able to pinpoint external factors responsible for students having higher aspirations to achieve higher education. The researchers found out that having a desk to work on, supportive parents who have high expectations from students and being happy contributed significantly to students’ aspirations of attending university.
The researchers also determined that these influences were much stronger than class size, schools these students were attending, or average grades of schools being attended by these students. These factors were also a greater influencer than whether a student comes from a poor background.
University aspirations and students conduct
The study involved 1050 students from 23 different schools aged between 13 and 15. The key questions asked to students during this research included: Whether they would like to continue to higher education, they were also asked about their parents’ expectations for them.
The researchers also posed questions on the level of academic support they were getting from their parents. Question on whether they owned a computer, a room and a desk was also asked. Students’ happiness level in their current schools was assessed by posing a question on whether they enjoyed the school they were in.
Home life of a student influences his plans
The study was also able to carry out further data analysis on the size of classes, the average grades of students in classes, the size of the school and the property values surrounding the schools. They found out that none of these issues mattered when it came to students’ university aspirations.
The data was a clear indication of how the home life of a student influences his plans and decision making. It showed that students from any school were more likely to have university aspirations if they had a proper home environment and supportive parents with higher expectations for their kids.
Gender also played a significant role in how students answered the question of whether they would like to have a higher education. Female students had more university aspirations than their male counterparts.
The researchers said,
It should be stressed that it is possible that different predictors would behave differently for pupils living in rural areas and smaller cities without higher education institutions, where lower socioeconomic status represents a greater obstacle for pursuing educational goals.
This is an indication that more factors played a part in how students conceptualized whether higher education is meant for them or not. This data is very useful for education policymakers. They have data that can back up budgeting proposals for future education policies.
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